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But would not any verifying of faith's assertions in effect relieve women and men of the risk of faith? No, theology's critically validating faith's assertions as true would no more relieve anyone of the risk of faith than would its critically validating a particular witness as truly Christian. In this case, exactly as in the other, all that theology could do would be to clarify the decision of faith -- in such a way, namely, that all who are willing to risk making it can do so with confidence and in good conscience, knowing that it is a decision in keeping with the truth, rather than contrary to it -- just as, in the other case, all that theology can do is so to clarify what is and is not implied by the decision of faith that anyone willing to assume its risk can confidently and conscientiously make it -- as a decision of Christian faith, rather than some other faith (cf. 253 f.).

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In societies and cultures that for long periods are relatively stable and more or less isolated from significantly different social and cultural patterns, the validity of claims to truth as fundamental as religious claims typically are is not likely to seem in need of critical validation. Although the claims in fact are problematic -- no less so, indeed, than any other human claims -- the underlying plausibility structures are sufficiently intact and unchallenged that the claims are not experienced as problematic. But in a situation such as ours has now become, marked by rapid social and cultural change and encompassing a plurality of societies and cultures striking in their differences, there is a heightened consciousness of the historicity and relativity of all social and cultural forms, including those of religion. In this sort of situation, religious claims to truth are likely to seem even more problematic than most others, and at least as problematic as they actually are. Consequently, the felt need for the critical validation of these claims if they are to be accepted as valid is acute enough that no reflection on the validity of Christian witness can credibly claim to be fully critical that exempts its claim to truth or credibility from such validation. On the other hand, to hold that theology in the strict sense must critically validate all the claims of Christian witness, including its claim to be credible, is simply to take seriously our own situation in determining what theological reflection has to be if its claim to be fully critical is still to be accepted as credible (cf. 76 f.).

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